


Keep The Cat

by The_Rogue_of_Dragonstone



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Adora/Catra is Canon (She-Ra), Canon Compliant, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, I might understand Catra too well, I started typing and this happened, Panic Attacks, Post-Canon, Sexual Content, What Have I Done, don't hate me, i can't write one shots to save my life, lesbihonest we all knew it would likely get there, parental figures, post s5, sound advice of experience, welp here it is a full fic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-07
Updated: 2020-08-27
Packaged: 2021-03-05 01:46:58
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 21,478
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25136374
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Rogue_of_Dragonstone/pseuds/The_Rogue_of_Dragonstone
Summary: Catra has trouble sleeping in her first few weeks at Bright Moon palace. Prior avoidances come to a head and Adora is just perfect, like fucking always. CW: panic attackNo longer a one shot because I can't write one and dones to save my life.Spinnerella and Netossa have watched these two useless lesbians for three years, and now finally have the chance to teach them a thing or two about relationships, whether it be sex or communication.If you're looking for Mama Gays gently prodding the Baby Gays in the right direction, here we go.
Relationships: Adora/Catra (She-Ra), Bow/Glimmer (She-Ra), Netossa/Spinnerella (She-Ra)
Comments: 101
Kudos: 601





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> ...I'm sorry, I just started typing and this came out.

Three weeks of sleeping in the palace in Bright Moon had not softened the volume of the silence for Catra. Growing up in the Fright Zone meant machines whirring and humming, boots stomping across metal, drills echoing through the halls at random times. The ringing quiet of the palace was too much at times, warring with her nightmares for the main reason she stayed exhausted. Well, those reasons and a healthy dose of "I don't deserve to even be here" that would flit across her mind at random. Moments like when Adora would give her a look out of the corner of her eye, and that one side of her mouth tugged up into that self-satisfied little grin Catra loathed (loved). Or when Bow would burst into their room at daybreak, slinging plates of eggs and potatoes at them, laughing about how they'd missed breakfast – again.

But the worst moment for her so far was when she accidentally walked into a room where Glimmer and Micah were hugging in front of a statue of Angella... a person Catra herself had inadvertently murdered. Being kept on Horde Prime's ship together had changed a lot of the way Catra saw Glimmer as a person, and she absolutely understood how Adora had befriended her. She saw how Adora could love the princess. And yikes, how that had hurt.

She'd never deserved Adora for a moment in their lives, even before the sword and everything that followed it, sucking up Catra's life like quicksand. She never deserved that kindness, that understanding, that absolute refusal to leave her side no matter what Catra had done.

It was a heaviness that she wasn't sure would ever fade to allow her to breathe again. If she ever even breathed at all.

A loud snore shook her from her pit of reflection, making her ears and tail twitch where she was curled up against a sleeping Adora. The shifting of her ears tickled the skin under the taller girl's chin. The soft smile Adora made in her sleep, and the nuzzle she gave Catra made her heart break even more.

_What am I doing here? What are we doing here?_

"Idiot." The word came out more like a whispered prayer than insult, the fondness contained within the utterance was enough to make Catra roll her eyes at herself. Like so many times before, she pushed closer to Adora to absorb the warmth that exuded from the only light that had ever chased away her own darkness. Then Adora's breathing changed.

"Your idiot." Catra startled at the reply, having believed Adora to be well under. But the hand that began to stroke down her upper arm fur told her that her... girlfriend? They really needed to sort that... was awake now.

Catra chose not to answer verbally, only burying her face further into Adora's neck, inhaling her salty scent deeply, trying to contain the purr igniting in her chest as a result of the slow, lethargic movements of Adora's palm on her fur. The subtle tightening of her grip on Adora's waist made the warrior shift towards her.

"Are you all right?" The whisper ruffled the tiny hairs on the top of Catra's head, and the soft kiss planted there after Adora asked made tears rise in Catra's eyes.

"I'm fine, princess. Cats are nocturnal; you know that." Catra gave a light scoff, and then bit her lip as the hand stroking her bicep stilled, indicating her lie hadn't worked.

Adora moved away just enough that she could gently roll Catra onto her back so that she could see her face, reaching up to cradle her jaw. "Tell me? Please?"

Catra pursed her lips and sighed, looking away from the earnest look aimed in her direction. If she held those silver eyes for longer than five seconds, every resolve she ever had crumbled like it was made of dust all along. No, that wasn't right. That had been what it was like as kids; but ever since their kissing became a regular occurrence, Catra's defense against those eyes was non-existent.

A brief internal struggle followed the question, because a part of her did want to confide, but the bigger part of her was belittling herself for waking Adora up with her melancholy bullshit. The galling part of that particular voice inside her head was that it belonged not to herself, but to Shadow Weaver.

Catra pulled away from the cuddle, then sat up in the bed to pull her knees to her chest and wrap her arms and tail around herself. "It's stupid. I should sleep somewhere else. I keep waking you up with my shit every night."

Adora also pushed herself upright in bed, folding her long legs beneath herself and keeping a small amount of distance between them. Just enough that if Catra wanted to leave, she could; but if she wanted to come back, she could do that, too. Perfect. Always perfect, her Adora.

"I mean." Adora started roughly, her voice thick with sleep, then cleared her throat to continue. "I disagree, but you know that."

Catra scoffed lightly, but didn't turn her scowl towards Adora. She didn't deserve it. "I'm okay, Adora. Go back to sleep."

"Not until you do."

Catra gave a low hiss at the stubborn woman, but it lacked any real heat. "You have stuff to do tomorrow. Today. Whatever." A firm flick of the end of her tail gave away her irritation at that, too: Adora belonged to everyone else, too, because she was She-Ra. There would always be another mission, another threat, another life or planet to save.

And while she admired She-Ra... she wanted Adora to herself. Hers.

"Nothing that is more important than this." Adora edged closer cautiously, propping her elbow on one knee to cradle her chin as she studied Catra. "Is it the dreams?"

Catra gave a stiff nod, unwilling to say anything lest her voice crack as she did so. It wasn't a complete lie, and it didn't bring up her feelings about Bright Moon, or the princesses being too fucking nice to her, or Scorpia being happy to see her again. It didn't cover the fact that she felt like a thief lying next to Adora at night, taking something from some unknown stranger that would deserve the woman more than she ever could. The dreams, for what terror the memories gave now, were a safe subject. A known problem.

"...can I hold you?"

The question makes Catra's chest tighter, hating that her first line of defense is to pull away when it's clear it hurts Adora every time she does. But she's working on it. If she weren't, she wouldn't be here at all. As it is, she is fighting everything inside of her to get out of bed and leave the room, if only so she can breathe again without Adora hearing how quickly it would come. So she wouldn't realize the panic shredding her apart from the inside when she nods again, and that damnable warmth settles once more against her side. Strong arms envelope her, and she immediately melts into the embrace because that's what Adora does for her. She gives her reassurance and comfort, sanctuary like no four walls could ever give. She provides all of that strength and stability that she thought she had lost those few years ago when that _fucking_ sword found Adora.

Before She-Ra.

Sobs are quaking through her before she realizes the trembling isn't Adora, but her own body. Her hands are clutching the cloth of Adora's tank top over her shoulder blades, and Catra has enough mind to keep her claws tucked away even when her instincts want to dig them in deeply just so her foundation remains under her. So Adora doesn't disappear again. Her nightmares remind her often enough of how easily they can tear into Adora's soft flesh. Catra remembers vividly the smell of her blood, and the sense of satisfaction that she had finally made Adora hurt like she had, and left Adora permanent reminders of it, the way Catra would never forget.

The memory made her gag under her sobs, and she tore away from Adora to fly into bathroom, where she emptied what little she'd eaten for dinner into the toilet. How she had ever been that person full of so much hate for the best thing in her life, she couldn't understand now. Not when she also remembered Adora begging her over and over to come with her, let her show her a better life than they'd had in the Horde.

Pride. All of that fucking pride.

Catra heaved again so hard it hurt, but nothing was coming out. The air in the room changed as Adora entered it, still almost physically shining with that fucking heat. Catra could feel it before Adora was kneeling on the floor beside her, slipping a hand under her tank top and rubbing a soothing hand between Catra's tensed shoulder blades. After a few minutes of the soft caresses, Catra could feel her heart rate slowing, the gut heaves easing back.

"That's it," Adora encouraged in a low tone. "Breathe, my love. Just breathe."

Catra drew in deep breaths and tried to release them slowly, the way Adora had coached her when this happened the few times before. The fingers combing slowly through her fur on her back was a magic all its own, and she wondered if Adora realized she didn't need She-Ra to be a big fucking hero. She had always been Catra's big fucking hero, and it was because of stuff like this. Times where she would rip out someone's eyes for seeing her weak.

"That's why it hurt." She whispered the words when she'd caught her breath, trying to keep her face turned away from Adora not only for a protective wall, but to save her the scent of regurgitated fish, too. The hand on her back slid down and around her waist, pulling her back to Adora's front. "You left, and I lost my shit even more than I already had because of Shadow Weaver. I – I did things, Adora. Stuff you know. Stuff you don't."

"I don't care." The arms around her middle squeezed lightly, molding them together on the bathroom floor in front of the toilet. "You're not that person, Catra. You never were. And you were the last one of us to realize it." A gentle placement of lips on the nape of her neck made her swell again inside.

Hot, fresh tears traveled cold roads, and Catra closed her eyes against them. "You really want to know why I'm so fucked up right now?"

"I'll always listen when you're willing to talk."

Catra extracted herself from the hold, using the edge of the sink to pull herself to her feet. She leaned over the basin, unwilling to look at her reflection in the mirror on the wall above it. "Stop saying shit like that. It makes it worse, sometimes."

"I'm sorry, that's not what I – I only mean that –."

"Shut up," Catra groaned, running a hand down her face before turning on a faucet to rinse her mouth. "I know what you meant. I'm just..." She scooped some water into her mouth and swished it around, spitting it out and watching it go down the drain. "I'm trying to tell you that the sincerity kills me."

"Why?"

She was so earnest. So curious. So eager to know how Catra worked. No one else had ever made the effort with her that Adora had. "I don't deserve it."

"Look at me, Catra." It wasn't necessarily a demand, but it wasn't a request, either.

Her ears flattened against her short mane, and her tail came up to curl around her midriff as she slowly turned around and leaned against the counter, forcing her eyes up to meet steel head on. There was a fierceness glinting back at her in the soft lamp light that made the hair on the back of her neck raise, and she felt her tail slightly poof but she ignored it in favor of not breaking her gaze. Suddenly there was a different sort of rock in her gut, one she didn't have a name for, but one she'd only experienced with Adora, and usually only after they'd been kissing for a time.

"I think you need to sit down for what I'm going to say. It might take a while." It was direct, and the slight shimmer of bright blue behind Adora's normal silver was alarming. If her emotions were high enough to invoke She-Ra, then what she had to say certainly warranted Catra's full attention.

_This is where she finally tells you she can't handle the mood swings. The nightmares. The crying. This is where she tells you are too broken to be fixed. This is where you lose her for good._

The hiss of Shadow Weaver's voice crossed her mind as she studied the intensity of Adora's glare, and she internally shook herself out of it. She fought back against the old woman's ghost.

_No, not Adora. She loves me. Something you would never know anything about._

"Fine." She stared at Adora with a carefully constructed expression of unaffected boredom, as if she hadn't just been a sobbing mess, and made a gesture with her right hand. "Are you going to let me out of the bathroom?"

Adora took two steps back, allowing Catra to pass through the door first before following her back into their bedroom. Their bedroom. The thought was still jarring, after more than two years alone in a bunk when she deigned to sleep. When she stopped and turned around to look at Adora, she couldn't even muster up her trademark smirk under the heat. She merely followed the single finger pointing in the direction of their bed – again, another combination of words that made Catra's tail twitch. Once she'd perched on the edge, she gave a sweeping motion with her hand for her dramatic... girlfriend?... to go on with what she was saying.

To her credit, Adora didn't immediately go off, but tucked her hands behind her back and started pacing. She finally turned that laser sharp look at something else, and Catra felt herself relax a bit, but then it was back, and then gone again. She kept shooting glances at her as she went to and fro, and finally after a solid minute of silent, frustrated pacing, Catra couldn't stop her outburst.

"Spit it out already, Adora! I'm not getting any younger."

"I'm trying to figure out where to start," Adora snapped back with her upper lip curled. "There's a lot, okay? We have so much... we _are_ so much. I don't understand how you can compartmentalize that into 'deserve', 'don't deserve'." She used air quotes on the words. "If anything, we were both manipulated and poisoned and groomed from infancy. We never knew anything else thanks to Shadow Weaver and Hordak. Do you know how shocked I was when I saw my first horse, for crying out loud?" She ran a hand through her hair angrily, gnawing her bottom lip. "Something so insignificant, but it wasn't. It was confirmation that everything I saw was true. The Horde was never what I thought it was, and I couldn't go back to that. I never meant to leave you. I always wanted you with me, with the Rebellion, where you belonged."

Catra bit back her impulse to deny the words, growling lowly in her chest instead to show her disagreement. She'd had plenty of chances to defect, and she didn't. She chose to go back to that nightmare every time because she believed it was what she deserved. It only served to make her angrier. Anger at Adora for leaving her there to rot alone with Shadow Weaver, anger at Shadow Weaver for making her stalk Adora when all she'd wanted was to continue to lie to herself that she didn't need her and wanted to forget her. Now, she knew that the root of the anger was at herself. Because despite what Shadow Weaver made her believe, she was never inferior to Adora. They were equals, partners, and everyone but Catra had always seen them as such... all because that old hag was a jealous, bitter bitch.

"You're the strongest person I know, Catra. You've been through hell and you're standing here, on the right side, at the end of it all. You could have taken the easy route like you always pretended to do, but we both know that you're far too stubborn to glide through life. You love the challenge and the thrill. We have that in common, and we always have. Always will." Adora stopped pacing and came to stand in front of Catra, tilting her face up. "You and me? End game. Shadow Weaver is dead. Stop letting her control your thoughts, Catra. You're your own person, and you're the person I love the most in the world. My best friend, the woman who has my whole heart. I don't give a damn if you think you don't deserve it. It's _my_ flipping heart, and _you_ don't get to tell me how to feel!"

Catra didn't know what else to say to that, because the dam in her chest was about to shatter and drown them both in a fresh bout of tears. The sight of Adora standing above her was already blurry with the standing water over her eyes. So she said the first thing that came to mind.

"Just say 'fuck', Adora," she croaked around the lump in her throat. "Your 'flipping' heart is in good hands, I promise."

Adora gave her a small smile that made butterflies erupt in Catra's belly. "I can't say that. It's your word. And... I know. I trust you, Catra. And so do our friends. Please start trusting yourself."

Catra swallowed hard as the words hit home, her eyes sliding closed as Adora caressed her jaw. This fucking woman. This fucking feeling she caused inside of her, the flurry of storm clouds that blocked her cognition. Because after everything Adora said, all Catra wanted was to kiss her. End game, she said. End game got kisses, right?

"Just..." Her voice died in her throat, but she reached up to pull Adora down by the front of her shirt, meeting her mouth with hers. She tried to convey her thanks through the kiss, giving her whatever tenderness she could, but withholding the ferocity under the surface. Adora gave what she got, never pushing Catra any further than she was comfortable, letting her lead this particular kiss. The knowledge of it didn't help the conflagration beneath her skin. It only fanned the flames.

Such a violent confluence of emotion was dangerous, she knew that. And they hadn't talked about... well, anything but their issues, really. The anger, the resentment, the abandonment. It had all had a chance to be in the spotlight, but this conversation had the most impact against the voices in Catra's head. It wasn't a question of what she deserved. Adora had chosen her. Chosen her to be by her side every day, chosen her to steal kisses like this when they thought no one was looking. She'd chosen her to guard her heart, to love her as completely as she loved her.

Because Catra knew Adora didn't do half-assed. She was all or nothing. That had never changed. _Adora_ had never changed. She had only become more perfect in what she had always been. Catra hadn't been able to accept it for so long because it would mean she was wrong. But she admitted freely and loudly now: she had been so fucking wrong. One of the worst parts about it was she knew that they could have had this sooner. It could have been right instead of wrong.

_But it's right now._

Adora was slowly pushing Catra down onto her back, bracing herself on her hands planted on the mattress. She went more willingly this time than any before when Adora tried to steer the making out. Because the insistent tugs at her bottom lip was sealing the cracks in her chest and cooling the anger behind her eyes, releasing the tension in her shoulders to replace it with a different coil of muscle low in her gut. The one she couldn't name, but knew was directly connected to being alone with Adora.

She shifted further back without pulling away, and Adora chased the kiss with one hand still on her face, thumb stroking the tuft of fur at the corner of her jaw. At the next break for air, Catra couldn't stop the chuckle from tumbling through her purring. Adora only pressed their foreheads together and made a questioning hum, not truly asking but still curious as to what was funny.

"You touch my face a lot." It was true. Adora almost constantly reached for her jaw, no matter where they were or what they were doing. It wasn't exactly a new thing, but it was something that hadn't happened as much when they were growing up. But since... everything... Adora took every opportunity she had, as if she were confirming for herself that Catra was real, over and over again.

Adora pushed herself up so that she straddled across Catra's lap, and the wind in her lungs was sucked out at the sight. It made the feeling in her stomach worse, in a very... _good?_... way. Her hair tousled over her shoulders; the tank top wrinkled from Catra's fist that was riding up Adora's torso, showing the ripples of muscle beneath; long, toned thighs on either side of her hips, slightly squeezing to keep Adora anchored. Catra's mouth watered, and she swallowed hard, any other smart ass remarks flying out of her mind at the sight of her... okay, fuck it, her _girlfriend_ in that state.

"You have a good face." Adora's voice was slightly slurred, like she had been drinking, but Catra knew better. She was punch drunk on their kisses, just like she was, but the knowledge didn't relieve the humor.

Catra gave a burst of laughter, shaking her head in amazement. "Well spoken, as always."

"What?" Adora protested in a wounded tone, but they both knew it was all for show. "It's true!" She leaned back over Catra, her weight settling on their hips as Adora readjusted herself to lie atop her, tangling their legs just so. "It's so... kissable."

The swooping feeling in her belly was nothing compared to the heat on her face, so she was thankful that Adora couldn't see because they were kissing again. But this time, Adora did something new when their tongues met. She pressed her hips down into Catra's thigh wedged between hers and _rocked._ The motion resulted in lightning striking through Catra when Adora's thigh bore down on her already slightly stimulated sex, and a gasp was lost in the deep kiss they shared.

Despite the dire threats of severe punishment, Hordak had never quite managed to squash sexuality among his soldiers. There was always trysts, vids of trysts, or the accidental walk in on someone's "alone time". So while the concept of sex wasn't lost on Catra completely, it wasn't something she'd ever given much thought, either. There was experimenting with herself, but that was about the end of it. It never came to much, and she never really looked at someone and thought... No. Catra had to be honest with herself. There was one person. But it was just because it was Adora she trusted most not to rat her out to Shadow Weaver, or so she'd told herself then.

Now... she knew better.

Her hips were moving back against Adora without her permission. Her heart was hammering in her chest like she had been running for hours, a sensation with which that her entire body throbbed in perfect harmony. That ghost of a feeling she had managed to incite in herself when she'd tried it so long ago, was now a corporeal beast in her chest, clawing its way out of her with a howl of need. This was good, it was so, so _fucking_ _good_... but she wanted more. Skin. Salt.

Catra's hands that had been gripping Adora's flexed triceps moved down her sides to her thrusting hips. Her fingertips brushed just under the waist band of Adora's shorts before sliding over the cloth and finding purchase on bare thighs, just below the curve of her ass. It still wasn't enough, she wasn't touching enough of Adora to calm that roaring in her ears as the blood rushed them, riding a high she had never known. But even completely skin to skin might not be enough to fix the feeling. This was the first time the kissing had gone this far, and she was willing to see how much further it could manage. More than willing. She wanted it to progress, if only to find some answers to the questions her body was screaming.

The first squeeze of her fingers on Adora's thighs to tug her in closer made the warrior pull back with a gasping whimper that made Catra feel a tug somewhere behind her navel. But that whimper had shit on the sound of her name being groaned into her ear as Adora pulled her head forward and cradle it to her chest. Like something precious.

"Catra," she panted into the tuft of fur by Catra's left ear. "I really, really want to touch you."

Relief flooded through her with the knowledge they were still on the same page. Adora wanted more, too. "You can," she said softly, pulling back from the fabric of the shirt Adora wore to look at her. "You can touch me wherever you want, as long as I can touch you, too."

Vulnerable. She knew it was stupid to put herself out there, but it was Adora. Whatever had happened between them was healing, and this was helping. This was a step. If she wanted a future with that light, she had to knock out a portion of her walls to make some windows. And when that bright sunshine filtered through the dusty panes, all the dancing particles were every single memory she had with Adora, good and bad. Shining, shimmering, splendid.

And there, in the middle of that once blackened room, a steady beating was coming from beneath the floorboards. Yes. Catra would have to remodel every single wall to make room for a heart she had forgotten existed, and a place for its guardian to relax in that rhythm. With Adora's presence, that prison became a home, shadows chased away by her illumination.

"I'm yours."

Of all the promises ever shared between them, this one was the one that shook Catra's soul the hardest, and to her surprise, she didn't doubt it. It was affirmation, but it was unneeded. She knew that now. She'd known it from the first time she had told Adora she loved her, and it brought her back from certain death. Their love had saved Etheria, had it not?

"I love you." Catra said it again now, just to see the rippling effect in Adora's expression. From the slight darkening of her cheeks, to the widening of her eyes, the small drop of her jaw... she loved all of it. She loved all of Adora.

Even She-Ra.

Adora leaned down to brush her nose against hers. "I love you, Catra. So much."

"Show me, princess."

* * *

"ADORA! You're supposed to be meeting – oh, no."

For such a midget, Sparkles could be really fucking loud. Also, very invasive. Like by teleporting directly into their bedroom at the ass crack of dawn, screaming Adora's name at the top of her lungs.

Catra almost found it worth it for the look on her face when both she and Adora bolted upright in the messy sheets of their bed, neither of them wearing a stitch of clothing. Glimmer got the full view as she stood there frozen in shock while Adora yelped in terror and grabbed the sheet to cover them both, and Catra gave a lazy stretch with a yawn, smugly unaffected.

_Ha, good. Take that, Sparkles. More than best friend zone._

"I'm – I'm sorry! Won't happen again!" Glimmer shimmered away immediately, beet red and looking at anything else but the bed.

The cackle erupted out of Catra before the last of the glitter from Glimmer's magic faded behind her, and Adora smacked her in the chest with a pillow.

"Not funny!"

Catra waved her off, falling back onto her own pillow with a wide, satisfied grin. Despite the lack of sleep, she felt oddly refreshed and ready to face whatever the day threw at her. Their night had only ended maybe an hour or so ago, but Adora didn't seem exhausted, either, judging by the way she threw another pillow across the room in the direction where Glimmer had disappeared. The tantrum was adorable.

_Don't make the pun. Don't do it._

"Hey, come here before you have to go," she said instead, holding a hand out to Adora, who looked at it suspiciously. But she took it, anyway, and allowed Catra to lead her back down so that her head was on Catra's chest. She curled an arm around Adora's shoulders and hugged her close. "I owe you a thank you for pulling my head out of my ass. I feel a lot better this morning."

Catra felt the grin that gave Adora, and it made her chest begin to rumble with a completely gratified purr. "I'm glad," Adora replied softly, running her fingers through the soft fur on her belly. She stopped where it started to grow thicker as she reached closer between her thighs, but didn't move her hand away. Its lingering presence there gave Catra tingles with the memories of what that same hand had done for her a mere couple of hours ago. Then, ever so slowly, it moved down to gently cup her pubis. "I think we both needed last night more than we realized."

"Touching me like that is only going to make you more late," Catra warned, but her legs fell open invitingly, despite her words. It was a slight disappointment when Adora made a hum of agreement, and only gave her a soft caress before withdrawing her hand back to a safer zone on Catra's chest.

"Don't look so sad, jeez. I won't be busy all day."

The pout must not have faded, because Adora rolled her eyes and leaned up to press her lips to Catra's softly. "I really, really like doing that with you, for the record. Better than by myself."

Catra raised an eyebrow. "You learned how to do that by yourself?"

Adora blushed, and gave a single shouldered shrug. "I... may have asked for some advice, too. From someone more experienced."

Catra snorted. This was too rich. "Really? Who?"

Adora's face got even darker. "...Spinnerella."

Catra was almost shocked at the revelation, but it made sense. The princess had always seemed a warm sort, motherly in a way. And having been married to a woman for longer than they had been alive, of course Adora would go to her for that kind of thing.

"Well, I have to say, ol' Rope Slinger must have it made. The wife gave you some pretty good advice." Catra's compliment made Adora smile, and earned her another kiss. And another. And one more after that. "Kissing is another reason you're going to be later than you already are, Adora."

"Mmm, they can wait. I'm busy."

"You've already saved the cat. What else can you do now?"

Adora pulled back completely to cup Catra's jaw, her eyes searching hers for something. When she found it, the smile she gave made the next inhale of Catra's breath catch in her throat. This was the smile that had caught her so many years ago, when they were merely children. It was the welcoming, open, reassuring one that promised many days of laughter, of life. It was the smile that defined her for Catra.

Adora's answer was simple, but it impacted in ways Catra could only begin to understand in this moment in time. But she hoped to know the full scope one day, know what it felt like to belong, to know Adora as her world again.

"Keep her."


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...I said I wouldn't do this, but then it literally kept me up at night. It is still a work in progress, I have no beta readers, so... forgive my mistakes, because I'm sure they're plentiful.

"Show me, princess."

It was a memory Adora would not soon forget. One that still gave her chills, even as an echo. How a name that Catra had once flung at her like acid had evolved into one of the most tender, _affectionate_ sounds the woman made now, she would never know.

She had physically shivered at the tone Catra had held, that damnable voice doing everything to her that Catra's hands had yet to do. If someone had told Adora just a few months ago that she would be here like this with Catra, she would have laughed them off a cliff face. Maybe it would have pissed her off and she might have kicked them off the cliff. Either way, someone would have flown for telling her that they wanted each other like this.

"This" being tangled together under a thin sheet in their bed after dawn, mouths and hands very busy once more. Adora knew Glimmer was right, she had a room full of people likely waiting on her. But it was hard to let go of this, now that she knew where it lead and the result of such things. Catra was so soft, and not just because of the fur. She'd known that a part of her best friend had always been this way, but she had never realized the reason she was the only one that saw it for so long. Catra reserved it for her eyes only because she saw it as a weakness to be exploited.

The fact that she could open up to her this much now, after so many years of building a fortress around herself to keep Adora out... it made Adora light headed with the relief she felt. Far from huddling up and hissing at her from a corner behind some storage crates, Catra was now wrapped completely around her, arms, legs, and tail. It had taken most of their lives to get here, but it was where they were meant to be. Adora knew that in her gut, just as much as she'd known the sword was meant for her. Catra was a big piece of her own chosen destiny, just as important as the one chosen for her.

And she would be damned if she ever gave her up, no matter who or what or when. She was keeping her for always, protecting her, fulfilling a promise made so long ago. She had failed Catra in so many ways, but those days were over. She would make up for it every day for the rest of their lives. Starting with mindfully putting Catra before this stupid meeting Adora didn't even want to go to. She could happily just spend the day right here, where her hand was once again pushing inside of Catra, where the mewls she gave melted Adora into a puddle.

_How is she so beautiful? How do I feel this much without exploding or something?_

Adora could feel Catra's tail trailing down her spine as she moved in and out. Their kisses were getting sloppy, fangs catching her bottom lip to pull her back in every time she tried to breathe. She had wanted to take this slower, but her sense of duty was nagging at her in the back of her mind, plus... it was hard to control herself once she was touching the parts of her lover that she was. Nothing had ever gripped her attention quite the way Catra's responsive body did, but jeez... it was so worth it. There was an inebriation with the knowledge that she was the only one that got to see this side of her, hear the noises she made and the things that slipped out when she was close to finishing.

" _Fuck, Adora."_

It was like throwing accelerate on flames. Adora didn't slow her hand, but she did finally pull her mouth away from Catra's, blocking the pillow Catra tried to reach for to muffle herself. "No. I want to hear."

That little worry line appeared between Catra's eyebrows. "What the fuck – A-Adora!"

That last exclamation was when her mouth found somewhere else to kiss, just above where her hand made wet noises inside of Catra. This single piece of advice Spinnerella gave her was her favorite. It had been awkward when she first tried it a few hours before, but she had quickly gotten the hang of it, based on the number of times she heard Catra whimper "please" in a matter of minutes... it was more than she'd heard it in the last fifteen years. If Catra's pleas weren't enough, the shredded bed sheet and damaged mattress under them also told the story.

Adora tried to keep eyes open while she was down there, despite how easily she could distracted with the sensations. But the sight Catra became like this was an addiction all it's own, never mind her taste or the way she moved against Adora's mouth. Her blue and golden green eyes were blown wide, her fur was poofy, her short mane wild like when it was long. Her chest heaved with the sensations rolling through her, sweat dampening the fur below her mane line.

Perfect. Catra was perfect.

"Adora, come back, please?" She reached down to pull Adora's face away from her sex and hauled her back up by the armpits to kiss her. Catra's were hips going so fast between them that Adora was having trouble keeping up with her thrusts, especially with how tight she was around her fingers now. Her hands found their way to her back, holding Adora as close as she could, her claws extended and piercing the skin of Adora's back.

Adora really didn't mind. It didn't hurt her in this instance, per se. There was pain, but... the pleasure overrode it. It was just another way they were connected in that moment. It made it real, a tether to one another outside as well as in. But the best part of Catra coming apart under her fingers?

Adora buried her face into Catra's neck, brandishing hers to her girlfriend as she picked up the pace and _really_ drove it home curling back towards herself just like Spinnerella suggested. She felt the faint prickles of the pointy edges of Catra's fangs, then felt them them press in as Catra bit down when her hips surged up into Adora, and she went rigid beneath her. The warrior couldn't move her hand anymore because Catra's inner muscles had seized it, and were rippling hard against the two fingers buried deeply. The sensory overload made Adora go rigid with an undulation in her groin, too. Spots flashed behind her closed eyes, a ragged noise escaping her throat that was immediately muffled by the flesh caught in her own teeth.

_Gods... this is definitely a thing, isn't it?_

...Adora liked biting. And Catra seemed a fan, too. So even if Glimmer hadn't literally caught them in bed together naked, there would be no doubts about what they'd been up to all morning once she stumbled into the council chambers. It was written across her skin multiple times for everyone to see, and a large part of her liked that but she didn't know why.

"That's gonna bruise, you know... again." A few moments passed before Catra's first raspy words were breathed in a smug tone directly into her ear. Adora groaned, half in annoyance and half arousal when her hips shifted against Catra's thigh on their own.

"Shut up, Catra. Don't ruin it." She tried hard to ignore the snicker Catra made, but it made her smile regardless. It felt so good to hear her genuine laugh of joy.

"Someone may think I'm actually trying to rip your throat out."

"Again, shut up. Besides, you should see _yours_." It was true. Catra's lighter fur on her neck showed the dark marks just as well as Adora's pale skin.

They were both grinning, Adora loved that she could hear it in her voice without even looking to see it. It had been a really long time since the last time she had.

"Don't have to, I can feel it. Jeez, are you hungry or something?" Then Catra scoffed at her own question. "Of course you are, it's you..."

The teasing note dropped off at the end of the taunt because Adora had started placing light kisses around the imprint of her teeth on Catra's neck. "You – you have to go. Don't make me... you know... before you do... _Fuck_ , Adora." Catra spat the curse when Adora gently bit down again, just to tease her.

Adora felt a warmth bloom in her chest and she stopped kissing her way around Catra's neck to prop herself up on an elbow, beaming down at her. "I don't know why, but I really like that word and my name in the same sentence... in that context, anyway. Not how you used to say it." Adora made an over exaggerated mad face and lowered her voice to match Catra's tenor. "Fuck Adora, I hate her!"

_Please don't let her take that wrong... I'm just playing around..._

But Catra only rolled her eyes, and Adora breathed a sigh of relief. She really was working on her anger. "Yeah, yeah, I get it, I was an asshole. You sound nothing like me, by the way, even saying 'fuck'."

Adora opened her mouth to disagree, but her bedroom door burst opened with a bang from a blast of water that splashed over them and their bed, soaking everything. Both her and Catra were in utter shock, but neither of them missed Mermista's drawl from down the hall, well out of sight.

"Come _on_ , Adora! _Some_ of us have kingdoms to run, okay?"

Catra jerked up in the saturated sheets, shaking herself to fling the excess water away, her face turning red in anger, fur standing on end, tail at full poof despite her being drenched. She flexed her hand so that her claws were fully extended, then made to leap for the door. Adora only just managed to get her arms around her before she could spring, and wrestled her back down.

"Let go of me! I'm gonna kill her!"

Adora huffed, rolling her eyes at the empty threats. "No, you're not murdering Mermista first thing this morning."

"First thing? Does that mean I can have her after noon?"

Adora snorted, fighting a smile. "This is my fault. I should get dressed and go meet with them."

Catra growled, but stopped struggling against the hold. "Well, I guess I'm fucking going now, too."

Adora's eyebrows rose in surprise. This was new. It wasn't that Catra hadn't been invited, but she had yet to actually show for one. "Why? You don't have to."

Catra made an angry gesture at the room. "What else am I supposed to do now? Sleep? Fish Girl made sure that wasn't an option."

"Hey! I have a name, sheesh!" Another annoyed call from down the hall and Adora whipped around and yelled at the door.

"A little privacy, please?!"

"Nope," Mermista called back stubbornly. "I'm here to make sure you actually get out of bed. Honeymoon is over, guys. Back to work." She sounded entirely too smug about the puddles of water between her and them.

"We're coming!" Adora snapped. But Mermista didn't sound like she was the least bit intimidated.

"Again?" she asked with a slightly amused air to her usual boredom.

"What does that even mean?!" Catra yelled back as she finally snatched free of Adora's grip and rolled off the mattress and onto her feet. Adora forgot everything going on around her for a moment, watching Catra stalk across the room towards the closet completely nude.

 _How did I never notice how..._ nice _her butt is? And the swing in that tail is hypnotizing._

Catra must have felt the stare, because she shot a quick look over her shoulder right before she disappeared into the smaller room, a smirk tugging up one side of her mouth. "Enjoying the view, princess?"

Adora just nodded dumbly. How could she articulate words with that perfect feline form on full display for her? Liquid muscle under that damp fur... she swallowed hard, and shook her head to try and clear her thoughts.

Clothes. Clothes would be good. Clothes would be best. Clothes and meeting, then trying to clean the room so they could have somewhere to sleep. Totally great plans. Perfect itinerary. Nothing gave too much free time or time alone where they could get distracted. Distracted like she was distracted now in the closet, watching something as simple as Catra pulling on a pair of slacks.

"I'm going to make it to your own meeting before you will, at this rate." Catra gave her a grin that was warm beneath the teasing tone. "I'm not going to have to dress you, am I?"

"Pfft, no."

Adora gave her narrowed eyes and turned her back to Catra to look at the opposite wall. A soft exhale of air made her ears burn as she pulled on a pair of underwear and grabbed a grey pair of slacks. It was the same noise Catra always made when she saw the scars from the day she had shredded her back. She stiffened as soft fingertips traced down them. She held her breath and waited to see what reaction it would invoke in Catra that day, because it varied, depending on her mood. But today it was just fuzzy arms slipping around her waist from behind and Catra's forehead pressing between her shoulder blades. A long kiss was pressed where Catra's mouth met her skin.

"I'm so sorry."

Her heart broke with the sorrow weighted in the whisper. "I know. I forgave you ages ago. And don't start on deserving. You know how I feel about that."

Adora turned around so that she face Catra once more, touching her face like she so often did, in complete awe that she had the freedom to do so. Mesmerizing with her large eyes framed with freckles beneath them and dark, expressive eyebrows above. That little nose she couldn't help but boop every now and then just to watch that adorable scowl cross her features. That face was the heaviest anchor in her memory, and Catra's voice her tether to reality.

Catra's eyes cleared somewhat with the reminder, and that devious little smile lit up. "Yeah, I do. I'm glad we had that talk. It really, uh... lead to some interesting places."

The humor mask was back in place, but Adora allowed it. There wasn't time to keep picking at the topic, she really needed to let go of Catra and finish getting dressed. It was just so hard. It was like when she had to walk away from a cake, but only worse.

Maybe that would be something Spinnerella could help with. She and Netossa didn't spend every waking moment in bed, so surely this would fade with time? Adora made a mental note to talk to her about it as she gently pulled back from Catra, leaving a kiss on her forehead. "I'm always available for talks."

Catra rolled her eyes, but she turned to grab the shirt she'd chosen without any lip and shrugged into it. Adora kept one eye on her as she also finished dressing, tying her hair up into her usual ponytail. When Catra went to close the last few buttons on her deep purple shirt, Adora reached out and stopped her before she closed the last three.

"Leave those open. I like it." It reminded her of how fucking sexy Catra had been in that tux and loose bow tie at the Princess Prom. Now that she was on touching terms, it was nowhere near as infuriating, and it didn't cover the marks she'd left. She really, really liked that, and she had no clue why. Another question to ask, maybe?

Catra raised an eyebrow in silent question, but Adora ignored it and turned away from her in favor of hiding the blush on her cheeks as she pinned her bangs back. Again, she was surprised when Catra said nothing, but a quick glance at her chest told Adora she granted the request. She could see the tuft of fur peeking out, and the marks on Catra's neck were stark against her light orange fur.

A few moments later found them face to face with Mermista, who was leaned against the spare room door with her arms crossed over her chest. "Finally," the princess drawled at them with a hard eye roll. "I thought I was going to have to get Frosta up here next to freeze you guys out."

Adora gave her a look. "Be glad you didn't." She practically heard Catra's claws extend beside her, and she reached over to lace their fingers together. It worked, and her girlfriend's posture relaxed. "You could have gone on without us, you know."

Mermista had the audacity to smirk. "Why would we do that when Glimmer teleported into the room, having a stroke about 'things that cannot be unseen'? We had to break out the water hose."

"In our _bedroom_ , Mermista? Really?" Adora's temper was rising a little with her friend's flippancy, but she choked it down to where Catra wouldn't also react. Their tempers combined would be bad for the entire Alliance meeting.

The smirk she received was infuriating, and it must have showed, because Mermista gave a long, put upon sigh. "Fine, I'll clean it out when the meeting is over. It's not like I have a life, or whatever."

Catra puffed up on Adora's right, and she squeezed the hand still in hers to remind her to calm down, but this time didn't work so much as the last. "What?! You wouldn't have to clean it up if you hadn't been an asshole to start. You know how much I hate water. _Everyone_ knows how much I hate water."

"That was the point, Cat Girl."

"Ugh, you're so lucky I'm trying to be decent!" Catra snarled, snatching her hand out of Adora's and stalking past them both. "I need some air. I'm going to find Melog. I'll catch up to you later, Adora."

She watched Catra walk away without a backward glance with a sinking feeling in her gut that soon turned to molten anger at Mermista. She knew logically that it had been a joke, and that the princess likely planned to clean up the mess from the start. But watching Catra leave with her tail thrashing behind her in agitation struck a too familiar chord inside of her that she would rather forget. It was like the progress they'd made in the last few hours had evaporated, and Catra was shutting her out again.

_Or you're riding high on emotions and you're paranoid. Could be either one. Ugh, why am I in love with the biggest brat I've ever known? Frustrating, infuriating, sexy... ugh._

Adora swallowed back her feelings to put on her duty face, and squared her shoulders. She marched off in the direction of the council chamber, ignoring Mermista with all her might as her friend dragged her feet behind her. The joke had backfired, and now she was feeling a little guilty, Adora could feel it. It did nothing to simmer her temper, though.

There was muffled conversation behind the closed door when they drew upon it, but the moment Adora pushed it open, the chatter stopped suspiciously. Everyone avoided her eye but Spinnerella and Netossa, both of whom gave her warm, sympathetic smiles that made her relax just a little as she made her way around to her chair. Adora gave a glance at the perpetually empty chair at her left as she sat down, and then frowned at Mermista. She had been so close to finally having Catra's ass in the damn thing. Maybe not today, for the reason she was almost there; but almost comfortable enough with the Alliance to make her want to hear for herself what is going on in Etheria.

Glimmer wouldn't meet her eyes at all, still pink cheeked and staring resolutely at the table top, though Bow was giving Adora a supportive smile from Glimmer's other side. They had been so busy with rebuilding efforts lately that the three of them had barely had the chance to really talk, but they both knew that Adora had been trying to keep things slow because of Catra's emotional state. They both likely guessed that this had been their first time, and Glimmer was feeling guilty for ruining it for them. Bow was likely happy for her, like she had been for him and Glimmer.

Adora gave a deep sigh, settling back in her chair. This was likely going to be a long meeting.

* * *

Adora could feel eyes on her as everyone was gathering themselves to leave the chambers later, and she turned into the feeling to see Glimmer staring at her with big, sad eyes. Adora gave her a little half hearted grin to convey her anger wasn't directed at her anymore, and that seemed to perk her up a little bit.

"I'm sorry for popping in like that this morning." Glimmer waited until almost everyone had vacated before moving closer to Adora to apologize. "I guess I was just used to doing it for so long that I forgot that you need your privacy now."

"I always needed my privacy, Glimmer."

Glimmer's cheeks darkened. "Point taken. But you know what I meant."

Adora nodded. "I do. But yeah... knocking from now on would save all of us some embarrassment."

Glimmer shot Adora a sideways look as they made their way out of the hall together. "Catra didn't seem embarrassed at all." Her eyes zeroed in on Adora's neck, and she actually smirked. "Neither do you, honestly."

A small smile graced the warrior's face as she reached up and touched the last one Catra had gifted. "Oh, I'm not embarrassed about that. I was embarrassed you saw... stuff."

Glimmer choked on her next inhale of breath, and Adora reached over to smack her on the back as she coughed, sending sparkles fluttering through the air. "Let's never talk about that again, Adora."

"Agreed. Who's idea was it to send Mermista to literally flush us out?"

Glimmer gave her a dead, unamused stare. "Mermista's."

"I figured. She is cleaning up her own mess, though. But um... I maaaay need new sheets? Catra kind of... tore them up. Ahem."

Glimmer covered her face with hand. "Bright Moon is going to be out of linen soon because Catra can't keep her claws under control."

Adora sputtered. "This was the first time!"

"Exactly! And if she shreds them every time, think about how many sets you're going to go through!" Glimmer was teasing, and the shimmer in her eyes gave her away even if her indignant tone did not.

Adora grinned deviously. "I'll have you know she can control her claws when it really counts."

Glimmer's face went pale with horror as Adora's meaning washed over her, and her face screwed up into a grimace. "Ew ew ew ew! Too much information! I have things I have to do, see you later, Adora!" A bright shimmer of purple light engulfed her, and then she was gone, leaving Adora cackling in the hall.

_Okay, so the look on her face may have been worth her busting in this morning. Just a little._

"Adora?"

Her name being called from behind her caught her attention as she wiping tears of laughter away, and she turned to see Spinnerella making her way towards her. Adora gave a friendly wave, an immediate blush settling on her face because she kind of knew what she might ask.

"I'm sorry about the prank Mermista pulled," Spinnerella said when she drew even with her. "She was out of the room before Netty and I arrived. I would have stopped her."

Adora gave her a grateful nod. "It's okay, really. She's cleaning up her mess."

"Are you all right, otherwise? Is Catra?" Spinnerella also eyed the marks on Adora's neck. "I assume my advice went... well?"

Adora's knees almost went weak with the flashes of moments shared between her and Catra over the course of the early morning, but she covered it by casually leaning against a pillar. "Uh, yeah. Yeah, well. Very well." She rubbed the back of her neck as blood crept up it. "Very good advice. Uh, and about that... could I ask you something else?"

Spinnerella gave her a disarming smile accompanied with a gentle nudge in the side as she settled in beside her on the same pillar. "Anything, dear."

Adora bit her lip, trying to phrase "Why do I want to keep humping my girlfriend now that I have?" into something more appropriate, but having trouble because that was really the point of the questions.

"It was... really hard to get out of bed. Like, more than usual. Because... you know." Adora gave her friend a nervous glance, and the princess gave her a nod to keep going. "Does it... does it get easier? Like, I would have skipped that meeting this morning if I could have, and that's not like me. You know me. I'm always ready to do what I have to do. But after everything... It physically hurt to let it go."

Spinnerella gave her a warm smile. "That's love, hon. You will learn to balance it in time, but no... I can't say the feeling of not wanting to let go of Netossa has ever faded for me."

"But... the balance thing makes it easier?"

Spinnerella shook her head. "That's not what I said. Balance is never easy, in any aspect of life. You know that better than most, do you not? As She-Ra?"

Adora grumbled a little under her breath. "I guess not. Catra has always been a hard balancing act in my life, and this new level of love between us... I never thought I could love her any more than I already did. Then we had sex. I knew it would shift our dynamic, but I didn't know I could still feel more for her. But I do."

Spinnerella held open her arms, and Adora went into a hug that made some of the tension in her shoulders fade. "Oh, dear girl. You're just getting started. You have a whole future in which to fall more in love with Catra every day. Trust me. And the same can be said for her. It is terrifying, and consuming, but it is so worth it."

Adora felt her heart clench, and tears rose in her eyes at the endearing tone Spinerella held. She had heard Angella use it with Glimmer countless times, and she briefly wondered if this is what it felt like to have a real mother. She had once attributed Shadow Weaver's interest in her development as motherly, but now that she knew better, every "good" memory she held with the sorceress had decayed. But in the past few weeks, Spinnerella had made herself more available, and had suggested Netossa and Catra train together for their competitive natures to have an outlet. The more Adora thought about it, the more she realized Spinnerella was purposely trying to help.

The tears in her eyes fell, and she couldn't hold back a soft sob against the silky cloth over Spinnerella's shoulder. "Thank you," she whispered gratefully, and she hoped that the older woman understood that she meant for more than just the hug.

"Any time. I mean that. You know where to find me." Spinnerella released her and took a step back. She reached up with a thumb and brushed the tears from Adora's cheeks, then cupped her face with a smile. "I'll let you go find your Catra now. I think Netossa was looking for her, too."

"Then maybe I should let Catra fight it out... she was pissed."

"She hates water. I'm surprised she didn't attack Mermista."

"I didn't let her."

They shared a mirrored grin, then Adora pushed off the pillar to wander off in the direction of the castle grounds. "See you around."

Spinnerella gave a single dip of her head. "Later, Adora."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this fic will likely be pretty short compared to my usual long winded bullshit, and I plan to avoid situational placement such as missions except by vague reference. I want to focus on the characters, and I don't want to influence myself by reading all of the beautiful Catradora fics already posted here. I'm just trying to get stuff out of my head and into prose.
> 
> Rogue


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Unbeta'd, as always. Forgive me my trespasses.

It was second nature for Catra to find the highest point in any structure around her when she was upset. Her thoughts just seemed clearer in the air, things were calmer when she could physically climb above it all. She'd found it in a seemingly abandoned tower several stories above the heavily trafficked halls of the palace within her first few days there. Her particular favorite nook was in the highest archway that had a crown molding that dipped lower, making a perfect cradle just big enough for her and Melog to curl into snugly. It faced eastward so that it caught all the rays from the rising sun, and Catra was addicted to feel of the warmth on her fur when she needed to ground herself. Today was the first time in a week or so that she'd been back, a fact that Melog had pointed out to her when they realized where they were going.

She basked in the sunlight, leaned back against Melog with her eyes closed, very near to sleep. That strange hum they made was like a lullaby to her, so it was easy to sink into their side with no worries of disturbance. The beaming sunshine had dried her completely, so now she was just wrapped in the blanket of heat.

"Catra! Hey kid!"

Until her name and a sharp whistle roughly jerked her off the precipice and back into Bright Moon, making both her and Melog puff up with indignant hisses. "Gods, what? I'm trying to sleep!" Catra gave a frustrated snarl, throwing her hands in the air in defeat. "Why can't anyone here just let me fucking sleep when I actually can?" The last part was more a grumble to herself than a question to Netossa, who was grinning up at her.

Of course it was Rope Slinger. She was the only one that knew about their little hideyhole, having followed Catra there once after a slight disagreement with Adora that Catra had stomped away from, almost a month ago. That had been the first real _conversation_ they'd had since the night Netossa came to her about Spinnerella when she had been chipped. It was the first time Catra opened up to someone that wasn't Adora or Melog, and it had felt... relieving. Netossa had understood, and had given her sound advice on how to try to listen to Adora before reacting.

"Being cooped up in that room for hours has me ready for some target practice!" Netossa called up to Catra now, who scowled lightly at her.

Her heart wasn't in it, though. She actually liked the old lady. Well, she wasn't _old_. Older. Whatever. The princess still moved like she was Catra's age, and those energy nets she made were no joke. Catra had been victim to them in war and peace, whether Netossa was trying to subdue her for real; or whether she was just enjoying watching her dance in sparring.

"Fine." She could handle some net dodging for a while. Maybe by the time they were done, Fish Girl would have the room dry again and she could sleep in her own bed. But she wouldn't hold her breath for that, either. Thinking about it was pissing her off all over again, so she huffed and gave a jerk of her head to Melog to follow her. They made a noise of confirmation and disappeared, but Catra could still feel her friend's... vibrations? It was hard to name what exactly the bond connecting them was, other than just... Melog's magic.

There was a bust across the way from her chosen nook, her stepping stone as she jumped from the arch, then from the bust to a window sill across from there. She finally landed gracefully in front of Netossa, who rolled her eyes playfully at the cocky display of agility. Catra only grinned, and it widened and became even more arrogant when she saw Netossa's dark eyes dart to her exposed neck under her collar. But it faltered when Netossa threw her head back and started to laugh, the sound echoing out into the hall.

Catra could feel her own face start to darken. She began to feel chagrined, thinking that maybe Netossa was mocking her. Then it shifted to surprise in an instant when the princess reached out and gave her a supportive slap on the back. There was a disarming grin still lingering on her lips, though she had let her laughter die off. It was still hard sometimes to accept the reality that these former enemies had become... something _not_ enemies. It was easy to slip into her old ways of over analyzing everyone until she saw nothing left but meat and bones.

But she was working on it, along with many other things.

"Okay," Netossa announced in a way that made Catra wary that she was about to be lectured. "You were definitely smiling at me like you have some kind of secret I don't know about. Let me tell you something, kid: I wrote the book."

Catra gave a snort of amusement, cracking a half grin. "Yeah, okay, old woman. Slow down before you bust a hip."

Their banter had developed naturally in an almost unnerving way. Catra had never had that ease of self in anyone's presence but Adora's, and there had been caveats to that, as well. But Netossa was just... laid back. She was just easy to like in the way that Catra hadn't even realized it was happening until it was too late and she had made... a friend. On her own. Not like Glimmer and Bow, whom she had through Adora, despite the developing friendships she had now with them both, separately. It just... was different. Netossa went out of her way to know her, and Catra... _appreciated_ the gesture.

"Ha, you wouldn't be walking around here looking like Adora's last meal if I had busted hips. Spinny said Adora asked her about some stuff a few days ago. That advice comes from experience, you know." She laughed at the disgusted grimace Catra gave at the immediate mental image of the two older women doing anything like what she and Adora had done.

"Looks like you guys had some practice." Netossa nudged Catra in the side with an elbow. "Congratulations, kid. We're happy for you two."

Catra scowled at the blood infusing in her face _again_ , and looked away with a nonchalant shrug. "It was bound to happen sometime." She paused awkwardly, pursing her lips, then added almost grudgingly, "But thanks. I guess."

They walked in silence for a few more seconds before Netossa cleared her throat lightly. "You know we knew? Before you all came back from... there." She carefully avoided saying Prime's name, a fact Catra was deeply grateful for. If there was a boogeyman to replace Shadow Weaver for her, it was him and the things he'd done to violate her.

"Knew what?" Catra scratched an imaginary itch behind her ear, trying to play off her discomfort at the memory of the ship and everything that had occurred there.

"That you and Adora were suckers for one another. I watched you on the battlefield. You never engaged with anyone the way you would with Adora, or She-Ra. It was so deeply personal between you that it broke our hearts for you both every time you met. Listening to Adora rant about you in war councils was like listening to someone list off every reason they ever loved a former partner... cursing you in one breath, and then praising you with the next."

Catra's heart clenched in her chest, but she didn't allow herself to react to it. "Scorpia used to say the same thing. 'Adora, Adora, Adora.' It pissed me off so much when someone pointed it out. Scorpia. Lonnie. Adora." Catra scoffed again, but it was more fond than spiteful. "'Admit it, you like me.'" She smiled ruefully. "I was so stupid."

"You were both children. Children that were pitted against each other from the start. That evil hag saw you two for what you were and did everything she could to stop it." Netossa's voice suddenly held venom at the thought of Shadow Weaver, and Catra just nodded lamely. That was an emotion she didn't want to feel in the company of anyone but Adora.

It was too easy to slip back into the memory of that First One's ruin, that massive explosion... that shattered face she had always wondered about. Shadow Weaver's last words, that last audacity to infer she had any modicum of control over her and Adora's future. As if her sacrifice in favor of Catra's had anything to do with how she loved Adora, and not that the bitch knew Adora wouldn't leave Catra. They were each other's weakness and strength rolled into one, and Adora was in a race to her own sacrifice. Shadow Weaver had just used their love against them once more before she died.

Catra's pulse started to rise, but she took a deep breath in through her nose to try to catch the attack before it started. She let it out slowly, then felt a bump on her right hand as Melog appeared to give her hand a lick. They did not fade again, and Catra felt better with their physical presence. She steadied herself with a hand resting on their head, and decided to be honest with Netossa instead of avoiding it. Avoiding it had never done her any favors.

"I know that. I knew it then. That's the part that's so messed up. I knew how fucked up I was being, and I... forced myself to not care. I had to be better than Adora, had to beat her, had to show everyone I wasn't second best... I convinced myself that I was better for it, stronger. Because you were wrong that day when you named all our weaknesses."

Netossa gave her a studious look from the corner of her eye, then nodded to herself. "I wasn't sure you knew that Adora was your weakness, yet," she admitted, and Catra's tail swooshed with the realization Netossa had known all along. "And I didn't want to knock you off that high horse you were riding with a hard truth. I picked a lesser evil so I wouldn't embarrass you both."

That imaginary itch was on the back of her neck now, right where the scar from the implant was, and she gave a scratch at it to process what she was learning now. Netossa was observant as fuck, and apparently so was her wife. Something clicked with that thought. "You only knew it because Spinnerella is yours." She stated it as a fact, and Netossa gave her a nod in acknowledgment. "So... were we obvious about how we felt. Great. You knew because it's how you feel about your wife."

"Well, mostly. But it wasn't hard to see, Catra. You two are... kind of adorable."

Catra gave a shove into Netossa's side with a hiss, her tail poofing slightly with her disgruntled state. "We are not adorable."

_Gods, we totally are adorable. Ugh, gross._

Her tail swung back and forth in contemplation. Adora was a terrible actress, but apparently so was she, except for herself. Because at a certain point in time, she had honestly believed she was better off without that tether to another person, a person she no longer trusted. Her act had become her. But even at Catra's absolute lowest point, they could still see how deep it was for her and Adora. They were as real as the magic that now freely encased Etheria. And it felt like their love was just as old, no matter how recently it was acknowledged.

Because fuck... she had always loved Adora.

"Believe what you want, we all have eyes, kid. Bow is the only one that gushes about it when you're not around, though." Netossa chuckled, shaking her head fondly. "That boy has a heart the size of Bright Moon."

Catra rolled her eyes. "Better than him appearing out nowhere every time I fucking sneeze to coo at me."

They were drawing closer to the base, where Catra could hear guards going through drills on the grounds. It was odd to her how familiar it felt, like Bright Moon might actually be a home for her now the way the Fright Zone had once been... no, that wasn't right, not really. Because the Fright Zone had only been home for as long as Adora had been there. When she left... Catra took another deep breath, releasing slowly. That didn't matter, anymore. It needed to be left in the past, another block upon which to build. Their foundation had to come from somewhere, right? Negative into a positive, like she had heard Perfuma tell Glimmer.

They made their way down to the grove of trees on the south side of the city, and Catra breathed in the scent of their leaves, smiling softly at the sound of the wind blowing through them. There were just some things about Etheria that she wholly enjoyed, and the trees were one of them. They made her want to climb, and climbing was therapeutic. Yeah, Netossa knew her pretty well.

 _Pushy old woman_ , Catra thought to herself with a smile. She reached up towards the sky to stretch her muscles, but frowned when she felt the tug of the sleeves on her shoulders, restricting her movement just enough to be a bother. She looked at her right arm, raising an eyebrow at the seam, then extended her claws as she tugged, cutting it cleanly free. She repeated the same process with the left sleeve, and Netossa chuckled at her.

"Gonna need what flexibility you can get, kid. Let me know when you're ready to be embarrassed. Every net that gets you is a point. Every one you dodge is a point."

Catra narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "No, because you'll cheat and use the dome."

Netossa placed a hand over her heart, and gave Catra a solemn look that was laced with laughter in her dark eyes. "I swear, no domes. But no Melog, either. I like a challenge, and you're fast alone. That's why this is always fun."

"Fine, no Melog." Catra gave a stroke down their head as they rumbled in slight disappointment. She glanced back up at Netossa as Melog slunk away to watch, a cocky grin tugging up on one side of her mouth.

"But," she added slowly, shifting her weight back and coiling her thighs. "Flattery isn't going to make me go easy on you, old woman!" Catra cackled as she leapt for a branch just over Netossa's head, making the princess shriek and duck to avoid her feet. But Catra hadn't been aiming for her, and she made a clean sweep, her claws easily gripping the bark as she used her momentum to swing up and on to her feet. She paused just long enough to savor the shocked look on Netossa's face, then yelped and jumped away when the princess's right hand began to glow white.

"You're gonna pay for that, you little fur ball!"

Net balls were flying right for her as Netossa chased her and aimed for her path, but Catra managed to keep her movement in the branches erratic enough to avoid them... until she didn't. The fifth net caught her by the ankle on a pivot, and she grunted as her entire front collided with a wide arm of an ancient tree. She tried to roll away, but the magical cords were already wrapped around her. She was suddenly upside down, and slowly spinning in place as she pouted at being caught, and Netossa was strutting up to her.

"Hmm. Should I let the cat out of the bag?"

Catra groaned loudly as her view spun. "That was terrible. Just like your aim. This is one point to my four. Do you want to try for more, or are you tired already?"

"I'm taking it easy on you because you had a rough morning," Netossa deflected with a dismissive wave of her hand.

"Thanks, grandma," Catra said sarcastically. "Now let me out of here before I puke."

When they actually started again, Catra believed her. She moved just as smoothly as she had before through the foliage, but no matter where she went, she felt those eyes on her with every swing and run, each one matched by Netossa always being a step right behind her. The next three caught her perfectly every time, and on the last one, Netossa left her plastered to the grass long enough to remind her that they were now tied at four.

"Doesn't matter! The game isn't over until one of us can't move anymore." She pushed against the threading, but as always, it was snug and didn't budge. Stupid magic.

"Looks like you're having trouble doing that right now."

"You know what I meant!" Though she would never admit it, she was getting tired, and she was hungry. She hadn't eaten that morning, and Netossa had let her run for a while between each actual release of energy. The threat of her hands glowing had kept Catra moving, knowing if she stopped for even a second, she was caught. Considering no sleep, sex with Adora, no food, and that run... yeah, it made sense why she was beat.

It seemed she wasn't the only one that noticed. "One more. Point is winner."

"Fine. Let's go." Catra braced herself for the moment she felt the pressure around her disappear, then launched herself off once more, running with everything inside of herself. Her body was on fire with the efforts, but the trees did provide just enough cover to hide when she adjusted to go a different route, Netossa still on her heels but barely. It seemed like Catra was finally gaining ground.

There was a flash of white behind her, just out of her peripheral on the right. She dodged left, but Netossa had been counting on it: She feinted and sent the net to the opposite side, snatching Catra in mid stride.

"Whoop! That's my game!"

Catra gave a deep sigh at her defeat, but she told herself not to be a sore loser, because this had served its sole purpose: she didn't want to murder Mermista anymore, and she was calm enough to function until she could sleep. For all the conversation on the walk, to the actual game, Netossa had been... awesome.

"You're lucky I didn't get any sleep last night and I'm hungry." She wasn't going to bend in front of her, though. "Good game, grandma."

"It was. Wanna go grab some food on the way back?"

Catra shrugged. "Adora is probably still busy, so sure." She tried to keep the disappointment out of her voice, but failed because Netossa gave her a sideways look as they started to walk back towards the city.

"Still feeling frisky?" It was asked in a knowing tone that didn't give Catra a lot of room to disagree, but she hissed lightly, anyway, just a small warning to leave it alone. But of course it was ignored. "That's really normal. Nothing to be ashamed about, kid."

Catra grabbed her upper left arm, shrugging a little. "I'm not ashamed. It's just new. We didn't exactly have sex education in the Horde, you know?"

Netossa nodded. "I do. Spinny tells me everything, Catra. So, I know what she and Adora discussed. Adora asked about what came after kissing, because – "

" – because we felt like we were going to catch on fire and we're dummies that didn't realize why our bodies were doing stuff." Catra cut her off, blushing furiously. "And yeah, Puffs helped. A lot. It's like, we knew we wanted to touch, but didn't know how."

Netossa's face softened into sympathy instead of mirth, and she gave Catra a gentle nudge. "What if I told you that what Spinny told Adora was just the basics? That's there's more?"

"More?"

Catra's eyebrows knitted together in confusion, her mind flashing back to every touch they'd given each other, every button they had pushed. It was so heavy in her memory that she couldn't begin to fathom how there could be more when Adora had literally blinded her with pleasure several times. Pleasure so profound that she was feeling a stirring behind her navel at that moment, even just remembering. If there was more... Gods, what the fuck were they going to do when they were trapped on Darla with Entrapta, Bow, and Glimmer once they took off on their mission? How would they find privacy for what they'd already done together, much less for more?

Netossa threw an arm around her shoulders and pulled her into a sideways hug, and reached up to give her hard rub on the head that hurt with the friction. "Hey!" Catra snatched herself free, batting Netossa away.

"There is so much more. Adora is magic, first of all. That is always fun. You can get really creative. There is position, technique, speed...toys. Dirty talk."

Catra's ears twitched as her face heated, and her eyes widened. "Toys? Dirty talk?"

Netossa nodded sagely. Catra got the feeling that she enjoyed this teaching role she'd asserted for herself, and she couldn't deny that a part of her was thankful for it. She really would have been lost on the feelings thing for the last few weeks without the older woman's input, whether it was welcome at first or not.

"The combination of both is my personal favorite. But hey, this stuff is personal, I get it. Tell me to shut the fuck up whenever you want." Netossa shrugged nonchalantly. "We don't mind talking about it because we realize there is a lot the two of you don't know or understand, yet." Always with the "we". She and Spinnerella were a unit, and Catra had mixed feelings about it when she first met them on the battlefield, annoyed at how well they worked together. But now she... admired it. It was something she wanted with Adora one day, if she could manage it without fucking it up for them both.

Catra's tail swished hard in her indecision. It was embarrassing as hell, but she wanted to know. Adora had been brave enough to ask Spinnerella, so why couldn't she listen to what Netossa had to say? It would be a lot of blushing, but it would be worth it if she could use the advice later with Adora, right? She chewed her bottom lip in thought, giving a nervous glance at Melog when they spoke up for the first time in a while.

"Try it, Catra," they suggested lightly. "Maybe it will help with the insecurity."

"Or just make me want to crawl into a hole and die," she muttered back to them darkly, making them rumble with a chuckle.

"What did they say?" Netossa asked curiously, giving a fond smile at Melog. "Sounded encouraging."

Catra growled lowly. "It was. Look, I want to know about it. But not in the middle of the market." She scoffed at herself for going soft around the edges where it concerned Adora and their situation. Besides, she kind of hated the fact that Adora was more educated on the subject than she was. If Netossa could tell her things that Spinnerella hadn't mentioned to Adora, then she could one up her and surprise her in a very good way all at once. The thought perked her right back up, steeling her for the awkwardness of such a conversation.

"So, let's get food and find somewhere to talk. You said you know what Puffs said to Adora?" Catra asked, raising an eyebrow at Netossa, who seemed confused at the sudden shift in her demeanor.

"Yeah?"

Catra grinned deviously. "Excellent. I want to know everything she didn't say. And knowing the both of you, I have a feeling Puffs left out the stuff that would make Adora blush."

Netossa met her evil grin with one of her own, catching on quickly to where this was going. "Absolutely. Come on, kid. Let's get that food and talk. You're about to learn from the best."

* * *

"...so that's what Fish Girl meant this morning when Adora said we were coming and she said 'again'? Oh, yeah, she's gonna get it." Catra ran her fingers through her hair, her face still slightly warm from the conversation they were having. She'd just learned that the explosion that happened when they had sex was commonly referred to as "coming", so that jibe Mermista had given them made a lot more sense. She felt stupid that she had so blatantly shown how naive she was by asking what the obvious dig had meant.

"Oh, that's low." Netossa shook her head at Mermista's joke. "She knows you two are practically babies regarding this stuff."

Catra's hackles rose and she glared at Netossa, her temper flaring so much that even Melog turned red and hissed at her. "We're _not_ babies!"

"No, but yes. You're new to this, so you're young in experience, if not years... which, compared to me and Spinny, you're actually babies." Netossa snorted in amusement at their reactions, tearing a piece of bread free to pop it into her mouth. "It isn't an insult, and I'm not disregarding what you two have accomplished, or have potential for accomplishing. So calm down." She dusted her hands off, giving Catra a serious look. "I am only trying to help."

Catra deflated, sagging into a slump and looking at anything but the princess. "I know. Sorry," she mumbled, forcing the last word out. Apologizing when she knew she had fucked up was still hard for her, but it wasn't impossible, and the discomfort of it wasn't what it once had been. Another thing she was working on, and an area she had made noticeable improvement.

"All good, just saying." She raised an eyebrow when Catra shifted her gaze back towards her somewhat guiltily. "If I wanted to insult you, I'd just tell you how badly you stink after running for a few hours."

The jab immediately lessened the pressure on Catra's shoulders, and she rolled her eyes. "Like you smell like a bundle of gray bars right now."

"What?"

Oh, yeah. She wouldn't get it. "Never mind. What else you got that can melt Adora's face off when I say it?" It was as much a deflection as it was genuine curiosity, because they had barely scratched the surface of the conversation when Mermista's shitty joke clicked in her head.

"How many different ways do you know how to say 'let's do it'?"

* * *

A few hours later found Catra curled up in her bed, fur freshly scrubbed clean of dirt, sleeping soundly. A dip in the soft mattress would have once woken her with a start, but the hand on her naked back was reassuring to the fact it was Adora slipping in beside her. The warrior molded her front to her back, both of her arms wrapped around her waist, and she buried her face into the nape of Catra's neck with a contented sigh.

"Hey, Adora," Catra murmured sleepily, a lazy grin unfurling as she rolled over in the embrace to face her.

"Hey," Adora whispered back, biting her lip in a way that woke Catra up just a little more. "I didn't mean to wake you up. You looked so peaceful. I was trying to be sneaky."

Catra gave a soft snort, snuggling further into the warmth provided by the arms wrapped around her, tangling their legs together on top of the sheets. "You can't sneak, dummy. You're about as subtle as Swift Wind."

Adora started to stroke up and down her back, and Catra melted against her, a purr building in her chest. "How was your day?" Adora asked her so softly and sincerely that Catra lightly blushed.

How the hell was she supposed to contend with a level of caring like hers? Idiot girl.

"It got better. How was yours?" She brought her tail up and traced down Adora's bare spine, enjoying the little shiver her lover gave. Giving the little caresses were as natural as breathing for her, a form of affection unique to her and her alone. Adora had always seemed to like it, even when she pretended she didn't.

Adora's lips quirked up into a smile. "It got better. Just now. What did you get up to?"

Catra rolled her eyes, but didn't hold back her grin. There was no point in putting up a front for Adora, who knew damn well that she liked Netossa. "Netossa found me. We played a dodge game."

"Who won?"

"I did."

"Good job."

"I'm lying. She won. By one point."

Adora laughed, letting go of her to give her playful shove that pushed her halfway across the bed. "You're an ass."

"Hey, I'm in a good mood," she defended jokingly, reaching over and shoving Adora back. She realized suddenly that Adora was just as naked as she was, and her hair was still slightly damp from a shower. The remaining droplets of water on the top of her head glittered like diamonds in the sunset coming through the window on the opposite side of the room.

"I see that. I'm glad hanging out with Netossa helped." Adora held her arms out, and Catra went back easily, folding into her favorite place in the world. "I know you miss Scorpia."

That was true. Out of the entire Alliance, Scorpia was the only person that came anywhere near Adora as an anchor for her. Where Adora's tactic to deal with Catra's panic attacks was comfort, Scorpia's was distraction. She would drag Catra anywhere and everywhere, inanely jabbering on about the damn clouds in the sky if it kept Catra's eyes in focus. And Gods, yes, she missed her.

"I mean, yeah. But Netossa isn't terrible. She treats me like a real person and she doesn't flinch when she sees me, so that's nice, too." She tried not to let her bitterness sink into her voice, but the fact that her presence in Bright Moon and within the Alliance hadn't been universally accepted irked her. She'd done her best to be better, but...

_I guess I can't blame them. But my jaw still hurts every time I see Frosta._

"Just give it time, my love. Changes rarely happen immediately."

Catra flushed with pleasure at the endearment, but still popped off a taunt. "When did you get to be so wise?"

"Glimmer. She reminded me about it after we saved you and you were still being a brat. Her words were, 'Have you met Catra?'"

"Are you serious? You went to Sparkles about me?"

Adora shrugged helplessly, but Catra was only teasing, and she couldn't keep up the stern demeanor with her being so fucking insufferably cute. She shook her head and reached up to tangle her fingers in Adora's hair, lightly scratching at her scalp. "You're lucky I'm so in love with you."

Adora's breath caught in her throat, and her cheeks dusted over in pink hues as her eyes slightly widened. "I'll never get used to hearing that."

"Too bad, princess," Catra husked, using her grip in her hair to pull her face closer. "Guess what else we talked about today?" She ghosted her mouth over Adora's, pulling back slightly when she tried to close the distance. The small noise of frustration Adora made was everything, and it made the fur between her shoulder blades stand up.

"Um," Adora said dimly, her eyes trained down on the knowing smirk twisting Catra's lips, her want of a kiss written all over her face. "I don't know?"

Instead of giving in and kissing her, Catra rolled Adora over onto her back and straddled her hips, loving that they were both already naked so that this would be easier. Adora looked confused for a moment, but the look quickly cleared when Catra's hands traveled down the ripples of her stomach towards where their hips met. Blue and yellow eyes watched as those muscles reacted to the trailing of her fingers, rolling and jumping under her touch. Memories of watching them flex and move when they made love the night before had Catra swallowing hard and attempting to recenter her mind. If she were going to lead this time, she couldn't be drunk on Adora's abs. Not yet, anyway.

"She said that Puffs only told you about the basics, and there is more we can do." To show what she meant, she leaned forward and placed an open mouthed kiss on Adora's sternum, nibbling just enough to make a light sigh escape her girlfriend's lips. "So much more." Adora's fingers buried themselves in her hair when she continued kissing her, following the curves of her breasts without touching the hardening peaks.

"You're going to kill me." Adora whimpered when Catra slid down to where she was prone, placing her thigh where Adora could rub against it while she kissed up the column of her neck towards her left ear.

"No." Catra chuckled. Adora didn't know it, but she had set up a perfect chance to use some of that dirty talk Netossa had taught her that day. She bit Adora's earlobe teasingly, tracing a single claw around an erect nipple, then palming the entire breast when Adora arched into the touch. "I'm going to _fuck_ you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am still on the fence about the smut content in this. What do you guys think? You're the ones I am torturing at the end of the day, so I thought I'd ask for some opinions on it?


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My job, my new relationship-ish thing, and an addiction to Overwatch has had me coming back to this when I could. I am so sorry for the wait, guys.

"I'm going to _fuck_ you."

The declaration rolled over Adora like a static wave that fired off every single nerve ending inside of her. Catra's voice alone had always had an effect on her, from comfort to anger; from anger to sadness. It was the most solid, constant thing in her memories. This new tone of voice – well, no. It wasn't new. It was the same teasing, taunting tone she'd always known. But the _context_ had changed. The situation was different, _they_ were different now. The pure _eroticism_ in every syllable was only amplified with the promise of what was in store for her.

Adora wondered what Netossa had told her to invoke this level of sheer confidence. She also wondered about how she knew exactly what Catra had meant by using her favorite word the way she had, in a verb. Action. That's what that was, right? Just like her hands, tail, and mouth on her body now, moving with an assurance they'd lacked hours before when they'd fumbled their way to orgasms together. Gods, this was sexy.

The way she carefully used the tips of her claws on her skin to display the raw power behind them, in contrast to the loving strokes on her thighs from the tip of Catra's tail – well, that was... something, as well. The light hints of the tips of her fangs on her collarbone was a sensation that Adora found to be maddening in itself, especially in conjunction with how Catra's thigh pressed into the slow buck of her hips. It was especially infuriating that she refused to kiss her lips, because damn it... Adora really wanted that kiss.

Kissing Catra was like saying a prayer that she knew was being heard and answered without fail. She did not forget how privileged she was to be the one here with this amazing ball of fluffy fury. She would never allow herself to forget it, either. She would never become entitled to this. It would always be a gift between them, for them alone.

"Catra?" Adora's voice had taken on a whisper in respect to the worship her girlfriend was showering across her chest as the woman kissed down her torso. The way Catra's eyes shined when she looked up at Adora, her face and neck slightly pink under her orange fur, the glint of her wet tongue in her mouth... Gods, it was too much for Adora's heart.

"Are you all right? Is this okay?" Catra's bravado dimmed in just the slightest way, concern etching into her soft features.

Adora nodded quickly, then gave a small tug on her upper right arm. "Kiss me? Before you go?"

The concern deepened into confusion. "I'm not going anywhere, I'm– ." Her defense cut off when Adora gave a meaningful glance down to where Catra's thigh was still pressed, although now noticeably more damp than when it arrived. Adora was wet, and her pulse was making an abode there. "Oh," she breathed in realization, her face splitting into a knowing smile. "I can do that, princess."

It still boggled her mind that not even two months ago, that title coming from Catra would make her want to choke the woman. But now it was almost reverent, and she couldn't hear enough of the praise. It made her feel very, very warm inside. A feeling that only grew exponentially in intensity when lips finally brushed against her own and she seized them before Catra could pull back.

It wasn't the soft, tentative sort of kiss. It was much more like the ones they'd had once they'd figured out how to make each other explode: hard and long, set with purpose, determination. One that made both of their bodies start to move together in a way that made Adora try to wrap herself around her lover's warm fur, only for Catra to pull her hands away. She encircled her fingers around Adora's wrists and lifted both of her arms above her head, gently pressing them back into her pillow.

"Leave those there." Catra's breath was hot across Adora's kiss swollen lips, and she squirmed with a jolt of arousal. "Trust me. Let me take care of you." She brought a hand up the ripples of Adora's rib cage to lightly traced the tip of her thumb around the underside of her left breast.

"But I want to touch you," Adora whined back softly, making Catra smile before leaning down to kiss her again, then pulling back just enough to see her.

"It will make it better when you can... or so I was told, anyway." Catra gave a short, exasperated chuckle, then gave Adora a beseeching look. "Trust me, princess? Please?"

Adora let her fingers clench on the soft silk pillow case with a slow nod. "Okay. I trust you."

She didn't know exactly what to expect after that, but whatever it was did not include the tears that gathered over Catra's eyes when Adora said those three specific words. She heard the swallow Catra made, and felt her heart clench with the way those beautiful eyes closed themselves to hold the dam at bay. Everything inside of her urged her to reach for her, but she only gripped the pillow tighter to refrain, waiting for Catra to make the next move. It was a relief from the feeling when Catra dropped her forehead to hers, brushing their noses together in a nuzzle. The simplest form of affection, and it made Adora's breath catch in her throat with how much her chest expanded with love for this girl.

The hand splayed on Adora's ribs slid down to grip her hip for a moment, then trailed down her thigh to pull her leg around Catra's waist. The roll of her hips against her made Adora give a low moan that peaked into a sharp intake of air through her nose when that hand snaked between them to stroke her core. It was exploratory, but it still made her body shake while it was combined with the way Catra kissed down her neck again, teasing the bite marks with her tongue.

"You're so wet for me." Catra's observation was breathed in a tone that was heavy with want, the sound muffled into the valley between her breasts. "You have no clue what that does to me."

"Pretty sure I do," Adora breathlessly retorted, lifting her head enough to look down at her. It was true. The wetter Catra had been when they were together, the more it drove Adora mad with a craving for her. But the words had the desired effect: she was pushing her hips upwards, trying to pull those rubbing fingers inside of herself.

Catra made a noise of disbelief, but didn't argue her point. But her eyes held an edge of challenge when she turned her face slightly to pull Adora's nipple into her mouth at the same moment that she finally pushed inside of her.

"Yes!" The relief in her cry was palpable, and she pulled on the pillow again as Catra's fingers curled up to find that spot she had shown her. Her claws were tucked back, mindful in a way that was also arousing to Adora. As much of a demanding, selfish brat as Catra could be, she was proving to be considerate in bed. Another facet of the gemstone that was her best friend.

Her knee squeezed around Catra's waist, pulling her as close as she could without using her hands, and it made Catra huff with laughter around the sensitive flesh caught in her mouth. She let go of her with an audible pop. "Eager much, Adora?"

"You've been teasing me since I walked in the room!" She spat it out between clenched teeth, glaring at Catra until the cheeky fur ball pushed her thumb into the little nub just above where her fingers moved. Adora's head snapped back onto her pillow with a choked noise with the electricity that surged through her, tightening her muscles. She heard the telltale stretch of fabric when her fists pulled on the pillow.

_This pillow isn't going to survive this._

"I was sleeping until you stomped in here, throwing yourself into bed," Catra drawled lazily. Blue and yellow eyes pointedly scanned over her body beneath them, and Adora swallowed hard at the flash of fangs when Catra bit her bottom lip. "Naked."

"Gods, shut up, Catra," Adora groaned in annoyance. But she was right. Adora had crawled into bed nude on purpose. She'd walked into the room and was greeted with the expanse of Catra's naked back, looking so soft, inviting and warm. All she had wanted was to be close to her, but she wasn't complaining that she'd ended up with Catra inside as well as out, either.

"Mmm," Catra hummed in a way that made Adora's entire body buzz. "I guess there _are_ better uses for my mouth right now. Isn't that right, princess?"

Adora let go of the pillow to reach for Catra with the intent to kiss that infuriating smirk off her face, but the smaller girl was too quick; she pinned her wrist right back where it had been. "Ah ah." Catra admonished her, pulling her fingers out to rub slow circles around the little nub. "Hands to yourself, Adora. I'm driving the skiff this time."

Then Catra gently removed the leg around her waist and slid prone onto her stomach, attaching her mouth where her hand had been. The immediate suction on her made Adora's hips surge again, and her abdominal muscles contracted so hard she nearly sat upright. Catra dragged the flat of her tongue up her entire slit, then sucked her back in, making her eyes cross as she grabbed her own hair to pull. She was close already, and the sudden stretch down there when Catra pushed inside of her again edged her closer to it. The rhythm of her tongue and fingers working in tandem had Adora gripping the pillow again in just a few more moments, her body rolling with the beat Catra set. The gasping moans she was making were still alien noises to her, but she couldn't help it. This was... this was better than before.

Then Catra eased back, slowly pulling her fingers out of Adora, and turning her face to place a kiss on the inside of her thigh as well. "Hey, Adora?"

"Why did you stop?" The complaint was breathless, and her fingers squeezed the pillow again when Catra gave her sensitive folds a gentle caress.

"Roll over onto your stomach for me." It wasn't a question, but it was stated softly with a gleam in those yellow and blue eyes that made Adora nod without hesitation. Catra pushed herself onto her knees to give her room to comply, and Adora quickly flipped over onto her front as ordered. "Raise up on your knees. Just like that."

The position was new, and Adora could feel the cool air of the room kiss her core as it spread open. Her face heated up at being so exposed to Catra's eyes, but when she dared a look over her shoulder, she saw nothing negative in them. The sight of Catra slowly licking her lips as she moved closer to her was intoxicating, and it made her shiver. The shivers didn't stop when Catra reached with both hands, lightly running them up the backs of both of her thighs. She out right whimpered when those same two hands kneaded into the flesh of her ass, pulling her further open for Catra's feral gaze.

"Gods... fuck, she was right." Catra whispered to herself, tracing a single finger down the crevice of her cheeks. "You're stunning like this."

Adora shivered. She couldn't handle the heaviness in the words, the gentleness of the touch; the weight of them caused her to bury her face into her pillow. The poor, feathered thing had become her rock.

"Hey, look at me?" This was phrased as a question, giving Adora the choice to remain hidden if she wanted. But she lifted her reddened face out of the silk and over her shoulder again, anyway. All she saw was Catra giving her a soft smile that edged on concern. "Is this okay? Are you okay?"

"Yes," Adora whispered, biting her lip. "Just please... touch me, Catra. I want to –"

"Come?" Catra supplied a new word for the explosion that happened when she touched Adora right. She leaned forward, letting her weight rest on her, rolling her hips slightly. Soft lips began climb up her spine, all the way up to her ear, where Catra nipped the cup lightly. "You want to come for me, princess?" A shallow dip of her fingers into her accompanied the words, and Adora's back bowed as she pressed into the touch. Catra's front was so soft against her skin, her warmth and weight a familiar comfort.

A rush of air left her chest at the question and the tease. "Please?"

That teasing touch suddenly became hilted fingers, and Adora felt the force of Catra's hips pumping behind her wrist. She cried out as the angle let Catra touch that inner spot immediately, her face falling down into her forearms. But that thrust wasn't the last, gods no. She kept it long and firm at first, working Adora right back up to the point she had been when she'd stopped before, holding and pressing in hard when Adora undulated around her fingers. As nice as it was, Adora wanted more.

"Faster, Catra, please," she whimpered, her eyes squeezed shut in anticipation. "I'm so close... so close."

A sharp nip answered her, until the heavy breathing against the nape of her neck became panting while Catra acquiesced and sped back up... and added another finger. Her flesh started to tremble violently, like she would soon collapse. Adora gave a shout, then bit her pillow as she came apart underneath her with muffled sobs into the silk. Her body buckled up, then melted until she was flat against the bed, legs closed tightly around Catra's wrist; not letting her move anymore, but not letting her pull out, either.

She liked this. She liked the vibration from Catra's satisfied purring, liked the tickle of her tail on her calf. She liked the gentle squeeze of the arm around her, liked the nuzzles to the nape of her neck. Being like this with Catra felt like the pieces fit in her life, for once. Everything that happened made sense, if only to have these fleeting moments of peace. Just them, and the sound of their breathing returning to normal, their heartbeats slowing to their usual paces.

After she felt like she could speak, she turned her head so that her cheek pressed into the pillow, rather than her teeth. "So, um... good talk with Netossa today, then?"

Catra chuckled in a lazily confident way that made tingles in Adora's belly. She squeezed the arm around Adora again, and she pressed a long kiss between her shoulder blades. "You tell me. It was a great talk from my perspective, princess."

"Definitely a great talk. We should send them candy, or something." Adora shifted a bit, and sighed when Catra finally pulled her hand free. It was a slightly disappointing sensation to let her go. But when Catra slid off to one side to gather Adora into both of her arms and tangle their legs together, it helped. It helped so much. She burrowed her face into her fur, took a deep breath of that slightly sweet, dusty smell that was one of her earliest memories, and smiled contentedly.

Her eyes closed and she listened to that deep purr that she loved so much, feeling herself slipping into a much needed sleep. When Catra started running her fingers through her hair, she was done.

* * *

" _You're welcome."_

Adora jerked awake into a dim room, moonlight streaming through the tall windows, still in the same position in which they'd fallen asleep. She shifted away slightly, feeling really hot all of sudden, being as Catra seemed to run high in temperature. It wasn't the first time she'd woken in a sweat... from either a nightmare, Catra's body heat, or a combination of both, like tonight. Thankfully, her movement made Catra groan lightly, then roll over onto her back, freeing Adora from the cage of her arms. She didn't wake further, and Adora laid there for a moment staring at her if only to burn Shadow Weaver's lingering image from her mind. But honestly? She just enjoyed the sight of it.

Watching Catra sleep – truly sleep – was one of those precious rare moments that no one but Adora and Melog had ever experienced. Every irritated facial tick faded, her smirking mouth relaxed, her challenging brows grew soft. There was a sort of rumbling little purr-snore noise she made, and her claws would sometimes gently knead Adora's skin wherever they held her. If Adora ever told anyone else about it, Catra would call her a liar and not talk to her for an hour. Because it was the cutest thing Adora had ever known. It made her heart feel so many things, knowing that Catra was dreamless and resting more often than at first.

Things weren't perfect, but... they were getting better.

Her dreams, however, were what had her awake and staring at her girlfriend in the dim light of the lowered lamps. There were several that liked to make an appearance in various ways, but a few were worse than others. More vivid. Physical. She supposed this one had been brought about by her thoughts of Shadow Weaver over the course of the day. The sheer contrast between Adora's perception of Spinnerella, and the memory of the woman that had raised her... it was jarring. She wondered about if she had been any different as Light Spinner, but she knew the answer. The masked woman had never been anything else but a monster hiding behind a veil. Shadow Weaver had only evolved as someone with her ambitions would, and had done her best to guide Adora in the same direction, just as she had tried with Micah. And Gods, what she'd done to Catra...

Tears welled up in Adora's eyes, and she squeezed them shut to hold back the sob she wanted to make. She had always stood there and let it happen, had made excuses, because she wasn't the one on the receiving end. She'd never known what it felt like to be touched with the power of the Black Garnet until she was an adult and had defected. But she had seen Catra tortured, mentally and physically; all the while she herself being groomed to administer the same level of punishment to her soldiers, should they ever cross her in the slightest. Praised only because Shadow Weaver had known she had magic. Shadow Weaver punished Catra because of nothing. Because Adora had the audacity to love her. She gave derisive snort at herself.

_I loved her so much that I left her there the night I went back for the sword. She wanted to come with me. What if I'd let her? Would we have been here sooner?_

She swallowed hard and took a slow, deep breath. She didn't want to wake Catra up with this, especially after their conversation the night before. The whole deserving thing was sore spot for her after her short encounter with Mara on the way to the Heart, and hearing Catra say out loud that she didn't deserve this, after all she had been through... that had wrecked her inside. She knew that feeling, and she hated that it ate at Catra the way it had eaten at her.

It was getting harder for her to remain still under the slightly ripped sheet over them. Despite the very exuberant encounter she and Catra had a few hours prior, her body was buzzing with nervous energy that made her want to pace, or hit something. Both. Considering the time of night, she wouldn't go making a lot of noise out in the yard with a practice dummy, but she could at least take a walk.

A walk to the kitchen to eat some cake. Yes. Cake fixed everything, right?

She didn't bother dressing beyond a pair of shorts and a tank top, not even bothering with slippers for her trek. It would require more noise as she moved about the room while Catra finally got real rest, and she didn't want to risk waking her if she could help it. This was a walk she needed to take alone, anyway, if only to clear her head.

There was something about her nightmares that made them more than, something tangible in them that gripped her heart in despair when she witnessed. The one she had just lived for the third time (yes, she was counting now) was just as detailed as it ever was, never wavering in its depiction of the sequence. There was a part of her that knew it was a memory, if only by its unchanging nature. It began as Catra's memory, and she didn't understand how she could see it, unless it had to do with what happened at the Heart.

She could hear Shadow Weaver's voice in her mind from the vision, as clearly as if the old woman were bent low, hissing directly into it. She could feel the ghost of the electricity running through her body while she accused Catra of lying for Adora... which she had. Catra had covered for her the best she could in the moment, but the knowledge of it didn't ease the guilt in the slightest.

_I should have taken her with me. I should have grabbed her hand, told her to shut up, and gotten the hell out of the Fright Zone with her._

It didn't matter that she hadn't known she wouldn't be back. Adora would never forgive her younger self for one of the dumbest decisions she'd ever made, thinking all the while she was protecting her best friend from exactly what she'd gotten, anyway.

Anger bubbled in her chest, pushing frustrated tears into her eyes as she stormed through the darkened halls faster than she'd meant to. It was irrational to be this angry at past actions, she knew that. But she couldn't help it. It was all so stupid. Just as stupid as how the dream always ended, with Shadow Weaver sacrificing herself under a guise of actually giving a damn about either of them. But it was about Etheria, not them. It was never about them.

_She knew I would always go back for Catra. And she was right. I would have let Prime have the Heart in favor of saving her... no matter what that makes me._

She brushed her tears away angrily, turning left towards the kitchen. But it worked. The guise worked, and Shadow Weaver had at least managed one selfless act before she died. Adora and Catra had managed to save the world. It was intact. She had stopped Prime. She was healing Etheria where she needed to heal it.

And she and Catra were helping each other heal from that monster's marks on themselves, and leaving new ones instead. She smiled as the anger ebbed back for the sense of fondness reserved for Catra, and she raised a hand to one of the bruises on her neck. It really was stupid to dwell on the past, when she had a chance at that future she'd glimpsed. That future with her wife, and their best friends. Because she knew they were married in that simulation. She saw her wing pendant on Catra's cloak. She knew what it meant, and she was completely at ease with that. She couldn't imagine marrying anyone else.

By the time she crossed into the kitchen, her mood for cake wasn't so much forced as when she'd climbed out of bed. One of the things she loved about Bright Moon the most was the always available confection, in many different varieties. It was the strawberry flavor she was looking for now as she lifted the many lids of the holders on the counter. Her eyes teared up with joy when she finally found the pretty pink cake, half eaten but plenty left to stave her craving for it.

"Mwahahaha, now you're mine," she cackled quietly, unashamed to be a goof where no one else could see. She helped herself to a generous slice, forgoing a plate in favor of her bare hands, just ready to put it in her stomach. She took a larger bite than she intended, and found herself wishing she'd gotten some water before smearing icing all over her hands and face.

"So, this is what you do at night. Good to know." Catra's voice made her jump and flip around to face the door, seeing her girlfriend leaned against it in shorts and a tank top, much like hers. But she was smiling softly at her with her tail gently flicking in that way that said Catra was calm, if pensive.

_I wonder if she can see that I've been crying?_

Adora tried to shoot off a retort to cover the face she made at her thought, but the icing had her tongue sticking while she chewed through the bite, so "I was hungry" turned into something like "Ickis hunngee". Catra only rolled her eyes and crossed to a sink, filling a cup near it with water and bringing it over to her.

"Here, dummy. And share some of the loot." Catra eyed the cake in her hand and jerked her chin at it.

Adora swallowed her drink of water and glared at her. "There's a whole cake right there, get your own!" It was halfhearted, but... she really wanted this cake.

"Yeah, but I want some of yours." Catra poked out her bottom lip into a slight pout that Adora immediately wilted beneath.

"Fine, have a bite." Adora relented with a huff, holding the piece of cake up to Catra's mouth, and tried not to stare at the fangs that peeked out of Catra's upper lip when she opened her mouth to take that bite.

"Wow," Catra breathed as her eyes widened. "That's better than the other kind, the brown one I liked."

"Chocolate."

"Yeah, that one. Chocolate. Weird word." She eyed the rest of the strawberry cake on the open dish behind Adora with an eyebrow raised. "What's this one?"

"Strawberry. It's my favorite." Adora took another bite, then offered Catra the last one. She took it, making a point to suck the icing off the tips of Adora's fingers as she pulled away, and Adora felt that tingle in her shorts. She recovered the shaky breath it caused by raising the cup to her lips and sipping the water. It washed everything down in a cool, soothing wave that settled over her somewhat nervous belly.

"I'm gonna get a plate. You know. Civilized." Catra gave her a smirk as she made her way to a cupboard, and Adora went to the sink to wash her hands. "You want to share?"

Adora grinned to herself, watching suds swirl down the drain. "I could take a bite or two."

"With a fork this time, right?"

Adora rolled her eyes and shut off the faucet, turning to flick water at her girlfriend. Catra flinched and hissed at her, poofing slightly and scowling. "Pfft, you're not getting anything from me now, princess."

She leaned against the counter and crossed her arms over her chest, watching Catra cut a generous slice of the cake and carefully put it on the plate. It was odd how witnessing something so insignificant and simple was making her heart swell the way it was. But she felt like if she didn't constrict her ribs, they would expand and explode. It was as if the Adora standing here now, and the Adora from only a week ago were two different people entirely. So much had changed. So much.

But some things certainly hadn't, despite the years apart. Like how it was common practice for Adora to suddenly lunge and shove her finger into Catra's food, just as she did now, making Catra squawk and pivot with her hip out to deflect and guard her plate.

"Lay off! Get your own!"

"But I want some of yours!"

"Too bad, dummy, should've thought about that before you flicked water in my face!"

They were both laughing, and Adora was only halfheartedly trying to grab the little saucer dish of cake. It felt good. It felt normal. It was a taste of what they could be all the time, one day; Adora savored it. She let the sweetness of it coat the bitterness on her tongue that she tasted for the past, for the things she relived in her dreams. If she could just stay here in this moment, then the rest would fade... right?

Adora stopped grabbing for the plate in favor of just letting her arms slide around Catra's waist from behind and leaning her face down to nuzzle into the crook of her neck. "I love you," she breathed into the thin coat of fur, then placed a kiss where her lips rested. "I'm so grateful you're here."

A hand came up and clasped her forearm around Catra's abdomen. "Good thing that I don't want to be anywhere else," Catra murmured back. She fully leaned into the embrace, and Adora widened her stance just a bit to hold them both up. For all that compact sinewy muscle her girlfriend had, she was considerably light, even when Adora wasn't She-Ra. "In case you haven't noticed, you're everything. My entire world."

While Catra meant the words in the exact way she said them, it still struck another memory for Adora, this one from the portal. One that cut through her lower gut like an icy knife.

" _You took_ _ **everything**_ _from me! You broke the world, and it is all your fault."_

It clicked in her head with Catra's admittance, and it all made sense. Tears rose in her eyes and a lump formed in her throat that she had to swallow back to be able to breathe. Her hold on Catra tightened as she buried her face further into her neck, willing herself not to cry. She hadn't understood then, being held down in her captain's chair on the ship. That corrupted version of Catra had been telling her in a very corrupted way that she had loved her, and that Adora leaving had broken her. She hadn't made Catra pull the switch, but it was never about winning despite all her talk. Catra had made choices, just like she'd told her. Bad choices. The choices that would have led to an end to her pain.

...just like when Adora chose to break the sword. An end.

But now? She was choosing to stay. They both were. It was a choice she could live with, and apparently it was one for Catra, too. The relief hit her just as hard as the memory, and it forced a sob from her that she had desperately been trying to hold back. The sound made Catra stiffen for half a second before the plate was on the counter and she was turning around to look at her. Her eyebrows were drawn together, her mouth taut at the edges with worry.

_She's so beautiful. Gods, how could I have never realized what this is between us? I really am freaking dumb sometimes._

"I knew you were bluffing about being hungry," Catra admonished her softly, reaching up with both thumbs to brush away twin tears. "What's wrong, princess? Why did you really get out of bed?"

Adora gave a hard sniff against the snot she could feel building up, knowing damn well she wasn't what one would call a "pretty crier", but finding it hard to care right now. "Stupid dreams."

Catra's vertical pupils narrowed just so, and she stared into Adora's silver as if she could see the images for herself and was watching every detail. "Wanna tell me about it?"

Adora bit her lip, knowing that what she was about to say was hypocritical of her, considering their talk the night before, but she couldn't help it. "Not tonight. Tomorrow, after we wake up," she compromised, looking around for a napkin or something to blow her nose.

Catra let her go when she finally spotted a stack of rolled silverware and moved to steal the cloth from one. There was silence for a moment while Adora collected herself, and she knew that Catra was having an internal war with herself about whether or not to push the issue. But she finally spoke. "Okay. But I'm holding you to that. Would you maybe wanna go for a walk in the Whispering Woods tomorrow with me and Melog? We could, I don't know, pack some food and make a day of it? Just us?"

Adora's heart swelled again, and fresh tears swam in her vision. "Are you asking me on a date?" She understood they were for people to get to know each other. Spinnerella had explained dates to her, but she kind of thought they were past the point of needing them, considering that they'd known each other their whole lives.

"Uh, yeah? Netossa said it's good to just... spend time together? Not just in bed, I mean." Catra's nerves were showing with the way she was spitting out words and clutching her upper left arm in a death grip and looking away. Adora took the few steps between them, rested against the counter beside her, and gave her a friendly nudge.

"I'd love to go on a date with you. Sounds perfect for talking, honestly." She leaned forward to peer around Catra at the nearly forgotten slice of strawberry cake. "So, uh, could I get a bite of that cake now?"

Catra scoffed and rolled her eyes, reaching over to pick up fork and gather some of the tines. She held it out towards Adora's mouth, slightly smirking. "Here, you big dummy. But this isn't because I like you."

Adora blushed a little at the gesture of Catra feeding her, but she recovered enough to pop off with a truthful comeback once she swallowed the bite. "I know. It's because you love me."

The blush that hit Catra's cheeks was everything.

"Yeah, you dork. I do."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *hides under my rock*


End file.
